Are we sliding toward war?

While both Sudan and South Sudan claim that war is the last thing on their mind, their actions clearly contradict their spoken commitment. And since actions speak louder than word, by flexing their military muscles, the two are now teetering on the brink of full-blown war.

The continued exchange of accusations and long-simmering tensions between two countries are destined to escalate into all-out war, if the two countries and the international and regional community fail to take steps to defuse the situation. Going to war serves the interest of neither country and is something neither can sustain without inflicting serious hurt on their respective populations.

The international and regional communities have been warning of the seriousness of pending issues, such as the final status of Abyei, border demarcation and dialogue with the SPLM (Northern Sector).

According to reports, the UN Security Council has once again waved the threat of sanctions on both sides, in order to get the two back to the  negotiating table to come to a settlement on their apparently intractable problems.

In a statement issued by its embassy in Khartoum on Friday, the United States expressed deep concern over reports of recent clashes between Sudanese and South Sudanese forces in disputed border areas between Upper Nile (South Sudan) and Blue Nile (Sudan) states.

Although the statement mentioned that the U.S. has no evidence of an offensive buildup on either side of the border, such reports are should be considered a serious development and the regional and international communities must step up efforts to restore sobriety to the driver's seat in the dicey relationship between the two nations, as war would be a costly, catastrophic distraction.

We join the international calls that the current tension underscores the importance of both parties agreeing to immediately, and without conditions set up the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ) and deploy the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) in accordance with the AU PSC Roadmap and UNSCR 2046.

It is quite astonishing that it should take this long for a deal on oil to be sealed, given that each of the countries is stronger, politically and economically, given healthy bilateral relations. Indeed, they are poorer without each other; while the majority of oil production “70% plus” is located in South Sudan, most of the oil infrastructure “the processing facilities and ports” are located in Sudan. Therefore, unilateral action will not be to the best interest of neither, because the economies of both countries have been devastated; a fact which should have focused minds on both sides of the border.

We hope the two sides will come back to their senses and resume talks, to explore avenues for resolving the conflict peacefully. By doing so, they spare their citizens the woes of all-out war that could wreak havoc on the infrastructure of both countries.